Silence Is Virtue
by Kryptonian-Suckerpunch
Summary: Carl was pretty sure he was going to die. No weapons. No one around. Or so it seemed. What happens when a girl no older than him saves his ass? Silent, feral, and deadly. How does the mystery girl's story unfold? Rated T to be safe.
1. The One With The Bat

Carl was pretty sure he was in deep shit.

1 walker. No weapons. No one else around. In the woods outside the prison.

The walker inched closer to Carl. He looked around desperately, hoping and praying that someone… _anyone… _could come out. He wanted his Dad. Even though Rick wasn't exactly…. _That didn't matter. Carl wanted his father._

The walker moaned, pressing himself up against Carl and snapping it's black teeth. Carl struggled to push the walker away, the walker growling and groaning as it tried to snap a piece.

What happened next _still _confuses the hell out of Carl.

2, pale hands placed themselves on the walker's shoulders. Suddenly, the walker was off them, sprawled out on the ground as it writhed and shook. Carl looked around, confused but relieved. As fast as the walker went down, a girl appeared. Running towards him, she threw herself onto Carl, knocking both of them onto the dirt.

Carl laid down involuntarily, this girl on top of him. She stared at Carl with terrified blue eyes. They bored into his chesnut brows for those split seconds, her heavy breath stiff on his lips.

Then, as fast as she came, the girl jumped off him and turned around, tightening her on a bat in her left palm. Her back was facing him, but Carl could tell there was a blunt, wicked smile on her lips. With one, fierce swing, her bat connected with the walker's sunken face in a deafening blow. The walker dropped, but struggled to get up. The girl huffed in frustration, slamming the head of the bat down on the walker's head.

She was tough, but she was also small and frail. It was obvious that she was starved and sleep deprived. The energy taken from those blows were obviously draining her out. She stared down at the now silenced walker, poking its head with her bare feet. No movement.

Carl struggled to pull himself up, scrambling to his feet. He was still amazed at the feats she just performed. He wasn't sure where she'd come from, but he didn't care. She saved his ass. With a whip of sun-bleached blonde hair, the girl faced him. Dried walker blood on her tattered t-shirt- dirt splayed across her cheeks, she looked feral. He struggled to speak, trying his best to find his words.

"T-thanks" he stumbled, dusting his hands on his jeans. No reply. The girl just stared at him with a flat face, no display of emotion. Carl felt a little awkward, and a bit intimidated. She could easily turn that bat on him, but something told Carl that she wouldn't do that. "I'm Carl" he managed, holding out his hand for a handshake. She jumped back, holding her bat up, ready to strike. Carl quickly held his hands up, trying to show the fierce girl that he meant no harm. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you" He lowered his voice, looking at her stoic face. It was obvious that she was tossing ideas around in her head. Slowly, she lowered the bat, but her enigmatic blue eyes never left Carl.

"Where'd you come from?" Carl asked softly, lowering his hands. Her only reply was raising her bat to gesture at the trees. Carl was confused, letting out a laugh. "You came from a _tree?" _He started to chuckle, but she remained emotionless. "Seriously?" He asked, and she nodded slowly. She eyed him suspiciously, her eyes flitting around their surroundings. Carl studied herm finding her threadbare pants were covered in fresh blood on the left.

"You're hurt" Carl spoke, reaching a hand forward to touch her. Again, she flinched and jumped back, her tiny fist trying to tighten around the bat. She was too exhausted to even manage that. "You're hurt and tired out, huh?" He chuckled a little, and she just blinked. She definitely did not like him recognizing her weaknesses. "Look we've got a doctor in our group, a lot of food, and a couple free beds" He began, smiling softly upon noticing her perk up. "We're not very open to new mebers, but you saved my ass. I owe you" he smiled at her to show it was okay, but her poker-face made it hard to tell if it was working.

The girl assessed herself quickly, placing a hand on her cut leg. Carl could tell that she was at war with herself. Hurt, exhausted and starved, yet having to trust Carl. She was out of options.

"C'mon" Carl urged, giving another smile. "I insist"

And with that, she followed him into the prison._  
_


	2. Learning Names

Carl had never seen someone eat so fast.

After leading his limping savior into the prison, he immediately got her a bowl of dry, stale cereal. She obviously didn't care about quality, because she tore into those flakes like she hadn't eaten in a week.

It made Carl sad when he realized that she probably hasn't.

"Carl have you-" Maggie began as she walked into the prison loft, stopping dead in her tracks upon noticing the girl. "Who is this?" She asked. The girl's eyes widened, reaching for her bat, but Carl gave her a look. She seemed to understand, obviously displeased as she retracted her hand. "She saved me from walkers" He informed her. Maggie seemed to soften. Even though this whole 'apocalypse' thing toughed her up, she still had a soft spot for lost causes. Maggie walked closer, and the girl tried to squirm away. "Hey, it's okay" Maggie whispered, though the girl continued to push away from Maggie as much as she could "What's your name, sweetie?" Maggie asked. She blinked her huge eyes, stifling hard breath.

The prison loft was silent, and the girl stopped squirming. Maggie sighed, standing up and placing a hand on Carl's shoulder. She steered him away, behind the gate. "Carl… can she even talk?" Maggie asked, wearily glancing at the girl, who picked up her bat and held it tightly in her arms.

Carl then realized that he hadn't heard her speak a word.

"I don't think so… Or maybe she doesn't trust us enough?" he offered, and Maggie sighed again. "How'd you get her in here?" Maggie asked, rubbing her hands together. "She's really hurt, hungry and tired. She saved my ass and she was out of options. I insisted" truthfully, he was surprised that she followed.

Maggie had no answer. She walked into one of the cells and came out with a pad of paper and pencil. Slowly, she walked back into the loft, Carl in tow. The girl backed away as she approached, but she was too tired to do even that. Maggie set the pencil and pad in front of her, Carl watching close behind.

Cautiously, the girl picked up the pencil. Her fingers trembled as she tried to keep a grip on the pencil. She looked up at Maggie with a confused look. "Your name, sweetie" Maggie urged softly, a tiny smile on her lips.

Shakily, the dirt-covered girl wrote out one, single word.

_ "Nova"_


	3. Stitches

If Nova's behavior didn't make it obvious enough that she hadn't been around people, her reaction to being stitched up by Hershel made that evident.

The second Hershel came towards her with a needle to stitch her leg, she screamed at the top of her lungs. She thrashed and kicked, giving a mad punch to anyone who came within a few feet of her.

Hershel emerged from the cell, hobbling on his crutches as Nova's screams got more quiet. He looked at Carl with an exasperated look.

"It's hopeless. She won't sit still" He reported, and Carl sighed in frustration. He was _really _hoping that she'd react well to the group. "But one good thing has come form this escapade" He told, smiling at Carl's confused look.

"She _can _talk. If she's screaming, then she can talk. She just chooses not to. The girl is a voluntary mute" Hershel nodded. "What do we do about Nova?" Carl muttered in htought, crossing his arms over his chest. "If she won't sit down for a simple stitching, we can't get her to do much else" Hershel told Carl. "What do you mean? I'm not sending her back out there with that injury!" He protested, surprised at how defensive he sounded.

"Believe me Carl, I don't want to send her out like that either, but there is nothing I can do. She won't let me help her. We don't even know how she got that cut. It obviously wasn't an accident" Hershel told him, and Carl couldn't think of an answer. "There has to be something we can do" Carl urged, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why don't you come into the room with me? She obviously trusted you enough to come into the prison" Hershel reasoned, and Carl smiled a little.

Carl took precautions. He brought another bowl of cereal with him, and a cloth for her to squeeze while she was being stitched. He was ready for any scream, kick or punch she could throw. Carl was oddly surprised at how much he wanted to… _help _her? He assured himself that it was just a favor since she saved him… but there was something about Nova that scared him.

Feral. Wild. Mysterious. Probably a handful left of people alive in the country, and one of them just so happened to be Nova. There was something behind those huge blue eyes, and Carl was determined to figure it out.

Carl and Hershel never did get her stitched that day. Not because she was screaming, but because she was fast asleep when they entered.


	4. Questions In A Void

Nova slept for a whopping 16 hours. Little did everyone know, that's the most sleep she's gotten in a whole month.

Carl was secretly grateful that she was asleep, because it made it easier to plead her case to the others in the group. To be honest, he found it hard enough to describe that a girl literally _fell from a tree _and kicked zombie butt. If she was awake and screaming her lungs out as she ran in fear just at the _sight _of other people? Not a chance.

The only one was completely behind the idea of letting Nova stay was Carol. She didn't have to say much, but everyone knew it was because her heart still ached for Sophia. Carl's did too, and he found striking similarities between Nova and Sophia's appearance. They both had pale faces, splashes of freckles on the cheeks and nose, slightly dirty clothes, short hair. Carl caught that sorrowful look in Carol's eyes when she peeked at Nova.

As he thought of how to explain Nova to his father, Carl watched her from outside the bars of the cell. She looked so peaceful; you'd never be able to tell that she nearly gave Hershel a black eye. Her chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm, her eyes shut gingerly, as if she was seconds from actually waking up. He found it amusing how she curled into a ball. Nova's white hair and position made him think of a kitten. Tiny, feeble and gentle. And that thought made him laugh, too, because though Nova was tiny, she was anything but _feeble and gentle._

"Stalker" Beth murmured as she passed Carl, though she was smiling. Carl returned the smile and scooted over, giving Beth room to watch with him. "You think my Dad will let her stay?" He whispered, trying to keep as quiet as possible to not awake the sleeping girl. Beth chuckled, twining her arms in between the bars. "After his reaction to that last group that came through? I'm not so sure" She smiled again, and Carl couldn't help but smile too. He liked Beth, she was kind and thoughtful, and she sang a lot. Carl loved her voice, he could honestly listen to her talk for hours, or sing for days. Sometimes when he'd be awake thinking (while everyone was asleep), he'd hear Beth, who must've awoken from a nightmare, humming and muttering a song to calm herself down. He never told her that he listened to her, but something about her told him that she probably knew.

"Why do you want her to stay so bad?" Beth asked, nudging him with her elbow. "You weren't jumping at accepting that last group" She added, looking down at him. He adjusted his sheriff's hat and thought for a moment. Carl honestly didn't know the answer himself; why? Sure, she saved his life, but that didn't mean she'd have to stay _forever. _He felt that thing in his chest again, that want to know who Nova _really _was. Questions like 'how'd she survive?' 'was she alone?' 'why doesn't she talk?' filled and fueled that feeling in his chest.

"Because…" He began, pushing the hat back on his head as he looked up at Beth. "There's a story behind everyone, she just locks her's away. Which means it's the best of all"

And that was all he said before Nova awoke with a blood-curdling scream.


	5. Auld Acquaintances

Almost as fast and as stealthy as Nova dropped from a tree, Carl unlocked and ran into her cell.

Nova jumped out of the bed like lightning, grabbing her bat from the ground and holding it above her head like a warrior, swinging it around like some invisible people were approaching her. Nova nearly swung at Carl twice before he jumped at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto the floor, Nova dropping her bat in the process. The two wrestled and fought a bit, Nova trying to squirm out of Carl's reach for her bat, but he kept his grip on her. Quickly, he flipped her over, pinned her on the ground and covered her mouth with his hand.

"_Stop screaming" _He muttered breathlessly, her eyes huge and wild. "You're okay" He reassured her, gently releasing her mouth. She breathed heavily, but didn't scream. Hesitantly, Carl eased off of her and stood up, holding his hand out for her to take. She propped up on her elbows, starring at his hand with confusion. Quickly, she got up on her own, disregarding Carl's hand as if it wasn't there. She stumbled for her bat, picking it up and holding it against her chest.

Nova treated her bat like someone would treat his or her first puppy. It's sad bordering on creepy.

Those screams were enough to draw everyone in the prison to the cell, all staring into the cell with bewildered expressions, as if they were expecting Nova to do a trick or something. "What happened?" Glenn asked, his eyes jumping from Carl to Nova, as if he couldn't decide whom to blame. Carl turned to Nova, putting on his softest expression. He knew she wouldn't talk, but he was hoping that _something _about her would explain her outburst, but she was emotionless (as usual), just slowly backing up until her back was pressed against the wall.

Glenn sighed, knowing well enough that there wouldn't be an explanation. "Carl, we need to talk," He said stoically, his eyes glancing upon Nova, who stared back with hard eyes.

"She can't stay!" Glenn told Carl in a hushed whisper, once they left the cell. Carl sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Just give her a chance! She saved my life!" He protested, adjusting his hat. "That doesn't matter! She nearly attacked Hershel before, and now she almost attacked you! She's dangerous, Carl!" Glenn rationed angrily, gesturing to the corridor. "For all we know, she could be from Woodbury!" Glenn added hastily. Carl opened his mouth to protest, but he found no words.

As much as Carl didn't like to admit it, Glenn was right. They knew absolutely _nothing _about this girl besides that fact that she hasn't been around people in awhile. For all they know, the Governor himself could've sent her! That was of course, an option, but Carl found it hard to wrap his head around. Anyone can act like they haven't been around people, but it was completely obvious that she wasn't acting. Raw, untamed and deadly, no one can act that well. No one could fake the mystery that lay behind Nova's hard eyes. And again, that void in Carl's stomach ached to know what made those eyes so piercing.

"Just… give her a chance! You didn't know who my dad was. For all you knew, he could've been the start of the apocalypse! But you still saved him in the city!" Carl offered, to which Glenn bit his lip. "Nova could help us. Given the latest Woodbury incident, she could be a good fighter to have around" Carl knew that he was getting through to Glenn, and Glenn's expression definitely shown it. "…Fine…" Glenn mumbled in defeat, shaking his head. Carl found himself grinning. "But it's just to Rick if she gets to stay. You'll have to pitch her case, but you might want something stronger than 'good fighter'" Glenn advised, to which Carl raised an eyebrow. Carl thought that that would be good enough. "Hey, Michonne is a good fighter, but Rick doesn't want her sticking around" Carl opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by someone entering the lobby.

Nova stood in the cell doorway, slightly swaying, being that she was still a bit sleepy. In her right hand, she held a notepad, thrusting it out for Carl and Glenn to read. Two, scratchy words stood on the paper, seemingly beckoning the boys.

_**Where's Michonne?**_

((So I've thrown you guys a twist! Nova somehow knows Michonne. Hmmmm, something for you guys to chew on Thanks for reading this chapter, and I'm sorry for the wait! My muse has been playing hide-and-seek lately! If you read my Supernatural fic, you'll be glad to know that the next chapter is in progress, so expect it sometime this week! Feel free to message me any suggestions, opinions, ETC! -Jaybirdy


	6. Reunited

"You know Michonne?" Glenn asked in disbelief, his eyes widening as he re-read what she wrote. Nova took the pad back, scribbled something, and then held it back out for them. It didn't say anything new, she just underlined the message.

God, the mystery with this girl just grows by the minute. Carl stared at the message, then back at her. Of course, her features were hard and her face remained as emotionless as ever. The way she masked her emotions bewildered Carl. The world has been in the toilet for almost a year, the Governor was ready to flush them, and she stood rock-hard. God knows what this poor girl had seen in the last year, the people she'd lost, the bruises and scars she accumulated. Sure she went through tragedies, everyone alive has gone more than enough for 6 lifetimes, but the thing that haunted Carl the most about Nova was that she was a _mute. _He remembered something his mom had said about how the quietest people hold the most sadness, and looking at Nova's pen and paper made his heart ache. Hershel's report of her ability to talk rung in Carl's head, as well as his mother's quote. He couldn't even imagine anything that could happen to him that would cause him to quit talking, besides being alone, that is. He knew it was probably gruesome and nightmarish, but he desperately wanted to know what made Nova tick.

Glenn wasn't amused by her underlining, in fact, he looked a bit pissed. "How do you know Michonne?" He repeated with a hard, firm voice. Nova wasn't phased by his attitude, but she scribbled another sentence on the pad impatiently.

"Lost souls tend to find each other" read the words she shoved in her face. Glenn face palmed with a groan, shaking his head. "Enough of the bullshit! Just tell us how you know her!" He said, voice rising along with his temper. Nova just blinked her blue eyes at him, and Carl swore she almost smiled. Glenn groaned again, turning to Carl. "You deal with her, I'm going to wait for Rick"

After Glenn left, the longue fell silent. Nova blinked at him, as if she was trying to look into his soul and see his true intentions. "Nova," He began, trying to build up his courage to ask the question on his mind. "Where are you from?"

Carl had never seen Nova show much emotion, so her reaction was a unexpected. Her eyes widened, and she seemed… uneasy? Taken aback? Carl couldn't quite place the emotion that bestowed her features. After about a minute of her shock, she scribbled a reply on her notepad.

"Everywhere"

Though he liked the mysterious feel to Nova, he found himself getting a bit annoyed at her replies. They were empty and unspecific, but something in him wanted more. The answers that she gave to the questions people asked her are distant and vague, but they never failed to make Carl think. He wanted desperately to know what went on in Nova's head and in her past, and to possibly help her carry the burden.

Carl opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the opening of the longue door. His father walked in, Glenn next to him. "That's her" Glenn said, pointing to Nova. At the entrance of more people, Nova tensed, as well as her fists curling into balls. She looked around quickly, and he watched her expression as she realized her bat was still in her cell. Though he barely knew her, he could tell she was mentally scolding herself for letting the weapon out of her sight.

Rick looked Nova up and down, his gaze then falling on his son. Carl didn't know what Glenn told Rick, but he could tell by his Father's eyes that the whole 'Carl-brought-a-screaming-wild-mute-girl-here' came up in that conversation. Rick started to walk towards the two, but that was already too close for Nova. She backed up wearily, eyes never leaving Rick, as if she was afraid he'd strike. Noticing her walking away, Rick stopped and held up a hand, almost the same thing Carl did when he first talked to the mystery girl. "No need to run away, I'm not going to hurt you" Rick said, Carl recognizing the tone of his voice, seeing that he'd heard it during the many times Rick consoled people.

Nova, on the other hand, was occupied with other things. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and her edgy lips softened, her next movement coming as a total blur.

She started sprinting in the direction of Rick. Carl flinched, confused and in shock as he watched her run towards his father. Was she going to hurt him? Was he wrong about her all this time?

But then, Nova ran right past Rick.

_Into the arms of Michonne; _who embraced the smaller girl by the door.

"Oh girl, I finally found you"

((Aw, what a cute reunion! Sorry for the wait, ladies and gents! My laptop was broken and I had a ton of schoolwork, but I'll try to post a new chapter weekly! Questions? Opinions? Write up a review!))


	7. Chasing the Past

There was this smile on Nova's face. Carl found himself staring at it, mentally taking snapshots, as if it would disappear in a second. He found her smile very pretty, but not because it was perfect. In fact, her smile was far from perfect. Her teeth were crooked and slightly yellow, her grin was toothy and took up a large part of her face, and she had probably a dozen dimples; and that's why Carl thought it was pretty. It was the type of smile that she just gave to anyone; she had to be _truly _happy for that smile to etch onto her normally rock-hard features. It was like her smile plays hard-to-get, and when you got her to smile, you'd feel like you truly earned it. It was that moment that Carl made a goal to one day get her to smile like that.

Every survivor in the Prison listened as Michonne told the story of how her and Nova met. Nova stared up at Michonne with enigmatic eyes and had that smile on her face, the type of smile that didn't make a big deal about itself.

"We never talked to each other, but we were aware of each other. I sometimes saw her jumping through the trees; she sometimes spotted me on foot. There was some silent bond that formed, and we never even officially teamed up. I was scavenging in an abandoned warehouse when I came upon her in the middle of a horde. I couldn't just let the girl die, so I helped her out. We just stuck together after that" Michonne began, wrapping a protective arm around Nova's shoulders and squeezed her. Carl was amazed; just hours before, the girl was screaming because someone walked towards her, and now she was hugging Michonne with a pretty smile. It was as if she was a feral kitten, and Michonne was her keeper.

"How'd you get separated? Carl found her alone," Carol asked, leaning forward slightly. Nova's eyes went dim, and the smile faded just as fast as it came. Michonne paused, pursing her lips as if she wasn't sure how to approach the question. She looked down at Nova, and Nova looked up at her with the same hard expression that Carl recognized. Nova shook her head slightly, so slightly that Carl almost didn't notice. Michonne nodded, and they seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes.

"The Governor" Michonne said firmly, which seemed to not be what Nova wanted, given the sympathetic look Michonne gave the younger girl. "He took her away from me, before anyone really knew Woodbury existed" Michonne's words were stifled slightly, as if it pained her to talk about it. "I'm sorry, girl" She looked down at Nova, whose expression didn't change.

"What happened to you?" Carl asked quietly, his voice hardly above a whisper. Nova looked at him uneasily, almost angrily, as if that question was strictly off limits. Hesitantly, Nova picked up her pad and paper and wrote out a sentence, holding it out for Carl to take.

_"I wasn't good"_

Carl had no idea what that meant, and frankly, he was afraid of its meaning. Was that how she got the scars that lined her arms and legs like an old jigsaw puzzle? Was the Governor the reason that Nova didn't talk? Horrible things raced through Carl's mind, things he didn't even think he could imagine, let alone happen to such a tiny girl like herself.

Carl opened his mouth to ask, but was cut off by a distant groan. Wait, not just a groan, a _chorus _of groans. Everyone perked up as if they were dogs, exchanging looks. "Walkers. Get your weapons" Rick demanded, and everyone obeyed. They all rose, jogging over to their cells to grab an assortment of guns, ammo and other weaponry.

Nova stood and turned, moving to get her bat. "Where are you going?" Michonne asked her, grabbing her shoulder and twirling her to face her. Carl expected Nova to flinch away, but she stood and looked up at Michonne. Nova scribbled something on her pad and held it up to Michonne. Carl didn't get to see what it was, but it must've made an impression, because Michonne nodded and they parted ways.

Once everyone had gathered their weapons, they all advanced quietly yet quickly to the courtyard. There, they were greeted by a horde of 3 dozen walkers, staring at them with sickened, blackened eyes. They snapped their jaws, groaned and moaned.

"Watch yourselves! Advance back!" Rick ordered, and everyone scrambled to walk back. Well, everyone but 2 people.

Nova and Michonne nodded at each other, Michonne holding her swords and Nova with her bat. They sprinted forward, hacking and swinging their weapons like 2 trained professionals. They moved in sync, back-to-back as they lessened the horde. Soon enough, the horde had thinned to 2 walkers, yet Michonne and Nova stepped over the fallen corpses as if this was choreographed. "Go!" Michonne ordered Nova, sheathing her swords and holding her hands together. Nova ran towards her, jumped on her hands as a boost, and Michonne flung Nova in the air.

The rest of the survivors were stunned. They moved like ballerinas, twirling and spinning, except instead of a stage was a prison courtyard. They watched as the two moved together like they were one, in awe at the scene that unraveled before them.

Carl stared at Nova, who looked like an angel in slow motion. As she flew through the air, her shoulder-length blonde hair ghosted around her like smoke, and he could've sworn he saw her smile.

She landed with her feet on the first walker's shoulders. The corpse collapsed under her, and she swung her bat and decapitated the second one with one single swing.

The courtyard fell silent, Nova's heavy breath being the only noise to reach everyone's ears. Michonne smiled at Nova, nodding as if to say 'nice job'.

"…Damn" Glenn muttered in awe, breaking the silence that bestowed them like a cartoon rain-cloud.


End file.
